Eight teams have been eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and eight remain as the second round begins. With the field now cut in half, there are some heavyweight matchups with a spot in the conference finals on the line.
Key Second-Round Matchups
The marquee showdown of the second round is between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild — two legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. The fact that Quinn Hughes (Minnesota) and Cale Makar (Colorado) will be on the ice at the same time is enough of a selling point, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. This series could provide seven games of world-class hockey.
After snapping a 14-season playoff drought, the Buffalo Sabres are now trying to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2007. The Montreal Canadiens stand in their way after taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, and that series will showcase two of the most electric fan bases in the NHL.
Elsewhere, the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks will do battle in a clash of styles with one elite defensive team taking on a high-powered offense. Speaking of defense, don't expect there to be much room on the ice when the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers go head to head.
Only four teams will be left standing after the second round, and here are our expert predictions for each series winner.
(1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers
Note: All second-round picks were submitted before Game 1 between the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (Carolina won 3-1) and Game 1 between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on Sunday (Colorado won 9-6).
Prediction
After picking against both of these teams in the first round, I have to pick one to reach the Eastern Conference Final. Once again, I'm reluctant to pull the trigger and pick the Hurricanes, even if I shouldn't be. The second line featuring Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake was outstanding. More importantly, Frederik Andersen shook off his regular season struggles to post 5.22 goals saved above average, which leads all playoff goalies. The main concern with this Carolina team is about its lack of true offensive firepower, and an impressive first-round sweep did nothing to diminish that.
The top line — which features all three of the Canes' best offensive weapons in Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov — was outscored 1-0 at five-on-five against the Senators. To make matters worse, that trio didn't even control 33% of the expected goals share, per Natural Stat Trick. Just as they did against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, the Flyers could cause serious problems for the Hurricanes with their defense.
Additionally, rookie Porter Martone has injected some much-needed offensive life into the Philadelphia roster, and Dan Vladar was every bit as good as Andersen in goal. This will be another slugfest of a series, and the Flyers will continue their magical run.
Pick: Flyers def. Hurricanes 4-3
Analysis
The Flyers pulled off a minor upset in the first round, taking a 3-0 lead against a veteran Penguins team before closing out the series in Game 6. Philadelphia was able to spread the wealth offensively with 14 different players scoring at least a goal in round 1. Rookie Porter Martone made his presence known, scoring twice against their cross-state rivals, including the game-winner in Game 1.
Goaltender Dan Vladar was Philadelphia's MVP, posting a remarkable 1.61 goals-against-average across the six games, capped by a 42-save shutout in the series-clinching win. The Hurricanes didn't have much trouble in the opening round of the playoffs, sweeping the Senators to reach the second round for the sixth consecutive season.
34-year-old Taylor Hall led Carolina in scoring with seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) and 23-year-old Logan Stankoven had a team-high four goals.